In today’s post I just wanted to give you some advice about choosing a method of weight training.  Whether you decide to use free weights or weight machines there are a few points to consider.

Lets take a look at free weights.  This is probably the method of training for muscle strength and mass which gives you the most bang for your buck.  Barbells, dumbbells, kettle bells, and functional cable machines have one thing is common.  They all force the individual to stabilize an object and give that person free range of motion to move that object.  By allowing this freedom, the individual is capable of training muscles and groups of muscles through very specific functional ranges of motion.  The great thing about this is that these specific exercises can be customized to fit a sport, job or any everyday activity that you may perform.  Free weights are also a really good option for maintaining muscle mass while trying to loss body fat through metabolic training.

Some cons to free weights would be the need for a lot of stability and control that may not be ideal for someone beginning a rehab program with a fairly acute injury.  Also free weights may be to advanced for an elderly individual without the capability or strength to stabilize the weights safely.

When we take a look at weight machines, which I personally don’t recommend anyone utilize to often.  The pros you can probably figure out from taking into account the cons of free weights.  Someone who is coming off of an acute injury and lacks the strength to safely control the resistance.  Weight machines would definitely fit the bill in this case.  The elderly individual as well would benefit from the balance and stability that machines have to offer.  Weight machines would be a safe alternative which allows strengthening without the need for stabilizing an implement or balancing yourself for that matter.  However, a quick transition from the use of weight machines to free weights should be the objective of anyone.  Just keep in mind, safety first.

So there you have it.   The main reasons why I tend to lean towards the use of free weights as opposed to weight machines.  how ever as you can see there is certain times when machines are appropriate.  Let me know in the comments section below, what some of your favorite free weight exercises are or why you may prefer weight machines.

Hope to hear from you.